Second of six planned life-extension outages completed under long-term programme.
Canada’s Bruce Power has completed the construction phase of the major component replacement project at Unit 3 of its Bruce nuclear power station in Ontario, the company said.
Bruce Power said the refurbishment of the Candu heavy water reactor unit remains on budget and ahead of schedule, with the focus now shifting to returning the unit to service in the coming months.
Unit 3 was taken offline in March 2023. The work included replacement of 480 fuel channels, 960 end fittings and eight steam generators as part of the life-extension programme.
Refuelling with 5,760 fuel bundles is expected to begin later this month, followed by final inspections and regulatory approvals.
Bruce Power said the refurbishment will extend Bruce-3’s operating life by 30 to 35 years.
The project is the second of six planned major component replacement outages between 2020 and 2033 covering Units 3 to 8 and aiming to extend the Bruce station’s life by 40 years.
Unit 4 entered refurbishment in February 2025, with Unit 5 scheduled to follow in November. In September 2023 Unit 6 at Bruce returned to commercial operation after refurbishment.
According to earlier reports, the refurbishment project is expected to cost CAD13 billion ($9.4bn, €8bn).
Canada’s Independent Electricity System Operator has projected that Ontario’s electricity demand could grow by as much as 75% in the coming decades.
Bruce Power said the life-extension programme will support long-term electricity supply and maintain production of medical isotopes.
Bruce Power operates eight Candu heavy water reactor units at the Bruce site, which is one of the largest operating nuclear stations in the world. The eight units began commercial operation between September 1977 and May 1987.
